Council in Waikato region of New Zealand sentenced after zookeeper killed by tiger

A council located within the Waikato region has been ordered, by Hamilton District Court, to pay reparations of $5,180 to each of the zookeepers children. The zookeeper was killed by a tiger while working at the zoo last year.
The council was further ordered to pay fines of $38,250 after pleading guilty to one charge under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 for failing to take all practicable steps to ensure the workers safety.
A WorkSafe investigation into the workers death on September 20 2015 revealed that the council, as the owner and operator of the zoo, failed to take a number of practicable steps to ensure the safety of the worker. This included a lack of mechanical and safety features to prevent two gates between the cat chute and the main enclosure being open at the same time, not having a two keeper system in place, or warning signs to indicate that a tiger had not been secured.
“As an employer, the council had a duty to implement safety systems, administrative and mechanical, to ensure that staff never came into direct contact with the tigers, including in the event that a gate was accidentally left open,” said SafeWork NZ Chief Inspector, Keith Stewart.
Mr Stewart added, “Working with large carnivores like Sumatran tigers will always come with the highest possible risk – there are no second chances if you come into direct contact with a dangerous animal”.
Failure to ensure the safety of workers can seriously damage a business’ bottom line. This conviction reinforces the importance of managing the risks through the development of clear procedures and the provision of training and supervision. Don’t risk non-compliance, contact ISOsafe today to find out how we can assist you in providing a safe and legally compliant workplace.

South Australian Construction Company prosecuted after worker fatality

The family of a worker electrocuted in 2014 has received compensation as part of a decision made by the South Australian Industrial Court.
The court convicted and imposed a penalty of $45 000, plus court costs on a construction company in recognition of an early guilty plea and the business agreeing to publicise the incident in local newspapers.
In addition, the business in concern consented to an order to pay $20 000 to the family of the worker.
On 23 April 2014, a worker was electrocuted when metal flashing he was holding came into contact with overhead power lines, resulting in his death.
Following investigation by South Australian regulator, SafeWork, the construction company was charged with failing to provide and maintain a work environment, failing to ensure the provision and maintenance of a safe system of work, and failing to ensure the provision of information, training, instruction or supervision of workers.
Presiding Magistrate Ardlie acknowledged that this was the company’s first offence as well as the significant capital invested by the company in training workers, since the incident.
Ardlie added, “Importantly and fundamentally the business now conducts an inspection of each site before any plans are submitted to council prior to the commencement of any work,” said Magistrate Ardlie.
The conviction highlights the serious impacts of unsafe work practices and especially the need for extra care when working near overhead power lines. Don’t risk getting caught out, be proactive, contact ISOsafe today to book a free advisory meeting 1300 789 132.

RM Williams convicted and penalised after safety breach

A South Australian Industrial Court has prosecuted RM Williams following an incident, in 2015, which left a worker with serious burns and permanent injuries.
The court convicted the manufacturer of leather boots, accessories and clothing, and imposed a penalty of $90 000 plus court costs in recognition of an early guilty plea.
On 29 June 2015, a worker was operating a heated logo stamping machine for the first time in the absence of an interlocked guard, which subsequently crushed some of her fingers and left her with third degree burns.
Following investigation by the South Australian safety regulator, SafeWork, RM Williams Pty Ltd was charged with failing to comply with a health and safety duty and exposing an employee to the risk of serious injury.
Presiding Magistrate Ardlie noted, “It is a matter for grave concern that the worker being a ‘new’ worker on the plant was being instructed in a practice which was positively dangerous and sought to defeat the machines safety measures.”
“This conviction highlights the importance of guarding moving parts on machinery which pose a serious risk to the health and safety of workers,” said SafeWork SA Executive Director, Ms Marie Boland.
Industrial plant can cause serious harm to workers. This conviction reinforces the importance of managing the risks through the development of clear procedures and the provision of training and supervision. Don’t risk non-compliance, contact ISOsafe today on 1300 789 132 to find out how we can assist you in providing a safe and legally compliant workplace.

Victorian courts order local businesses to pay record $6.2 million in penalties over health and safety breaches in 2015-16

WorkSafe Victoria have revealed that over the 2015-16 financial year, 108 businesses and 21 individuals were fined totalling more than $6.2 million.

Of the 108 businesses, almost 40 were from construction sector. The worst offenders included:
A piling, foundations and ground engineering company which was convicted and fined $750,000 over the death of a worker who fell more than 40 metres when the mast of a piling rig collapsed at Southbank in 2011.
A mining services provider, which was convicted and fined a total of $600,000 following two incidents involving an overloaded barge working on the Patterson River. One of the incidents involved the barge capsizing, throwing three workers into the water and trapping one in the excavator in the water, seriously injuring him.
A residential builder, which was convicted and fined $300,000 over an incident in which a carpenter died after being crushed by a brick wall on a construction site at Brighton East in 2014.
A sign company, which was convicted and fined $250,000 over its involvement in the attachment of a timber hoarding to a wall which increased the risk of the wall collapsing at Carlton. The wall collapsed and killed three people in 2013.

A significant number of businesses in the manufacturing sector were also prosecuted. They included:
A conveyer belt manufacturer, which was fined $90,000 over an incident in 2014 in which an employee suffered serious arm injuries when he became caught in machinery beneath a moving conveyer belt.
A caravan manufacturer, which was convicted and fined $80,000 over an incident in 2014 in which an employee had two fingers severed while using an unguarded router.
A Chicken processer, which was convicted and fined $60,000 over an incident in 2014 where an employee suffered serious hand and arm injuries when she became caught in a giblet processor.

WorkSafe Chief Executive, Clare Amies, said the record amount of fines imposed by the courts in 2015-16 was a reminder to businesses and individuals of the significant penalties they faced if they did not comply with their health and safety obligations.

“WorkSafe is committed to improving workplace health and safety and, if it is found that employers have failed to provide a safe working environment for their workers, they can expect to face large fines and significant damage to their reputation,” Ms Amies said.

Don’t risk noncompliance. ISOsafe’s services will protect your business. We will prepare all safety documentation to demonstrate compliance. Call us now 1300 789 132 or email us at enquiries@isosafe.com.au, to learn more about our services for businesses and their owners.

ISOsafe's top tips for managing your subcontractors

Every business owner expects their subcontractors to uphold the same standards as their staff, but maintaining subcontractor compliance onsite is another challenge altogether.
Many businesses rely on subcontractors to meet high-demand or fill a geographic need. When you hire subcontractors, they represent your company, so it’s important to make sure they have the same information and guidelines as your staff.
Having in place carefully considered and planned agreements are a must for any business looking to better manage their subcontractors. ISOsafe’s simple and straightforward contractor management system allows business owners to manage multiple subcontractors, across all projects. ISOsafe’s solution will help your project managers identify, engage and share feedback on subcontractors. 

Why subcontractor compliance matters:
• It’s your responsibility to make sure your subcontractors carry out work in line with Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Laws
• Aside from legal requirements and safety codes, you want to make sure your subcontractors maintain the high company standards you’ve set for your staff.
• You set Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for a reason and it’s your responsibility to communicate those customer agreements and expectations to your subcontractors.
• If you enforce strong standards across your organisation and the subcontractors you work with, you’ll prove yourself as a reliable, trustworthy company to work with, helping you attract new business.

It’s clear there are many reasons to enforce compliance across your team of subcontractors, but how do you actually do it? Here are 5 strategies, from ISOsafe’s contractor management system:
• Quality Control
One way to verify subcontractors are meeting your company’s standards is to send project managers into the field to verify jobs by inspecting the subcontractor’s work. Depending on your organisational structure, you may find that instead of sending project managers into the field to check subcontractors’ work, you could have customers sign off on the subcontractor’s job form, affirming they were there and did the job to the customer’s satisfaction. 
• Customer Satisfaction Surveys
Not only does this help you see whether your customers are happy with the subcontractors’ work, it also gives you (and the subcontractor concerned) data over time to guide how you improve customer satisfaction. 
• Customised Inspection Forms
To standardise the inspection process, you could have subcontractors complete an inspection form onsite to check their compliance and ensure they’re living up to company standards. This may be accompanied with photographic evidence. 

Consistent and positive customer experience is pivotal to your business’ growth. 
Not only do you want to make sure your subcontractors are meeting safety codes and legal service requirements, you also want to ensure your customers each receive the same quality experience every time they work with you. If your subcontractors are under performing or failing to take advantage of their time onsite, it reflects poorly on your company. 

Customer satisfaction is arguably the most important measurement of a strong service organisation. By demanding consistent, quality service from subcontractors by holding them accountable, you’ll make sure you exceed customer expectations every time instead of just hoping your team of subcontractors follows your guidelines.